Getting started with long range target shooting?

[Beltaine]

I'd like to dip my toes into long range (100yds. or greater) target shooting for fun with the idea of moving up to the big boys (.338 or .50) in the future.

I figure rimfire .17hmr or .22 is going to be the best place to start, unless there is a centerfire cartridge that is semi-affordable?

.17 limits me to bolt-action which isn't a problem, but there are people that also build 10/22s that perform fairly well at a long distance, right?

"Tinker-ability" would also be a big deciding factor. I'd like something I can build on as I go.

What sort of magnification in a scope would I need to look for?

Anything else I should keep in mind as I shop around and try to make a decision?

Edited September 10, 2011 by Beltaine

[mikegideon]

A .17 HMR reaches out better than any other rimfire, but the wind scoots it around pretty good. You can also buy a fairly cheap varmint rifle that will shoot Sub MOA.

.22 LR is slow, so it won't go very far before it goes subsonic. That impacts accuracy. There is a LOT to consider.

[1gewehr]

For the .22lr, 100 yards is about as much as you will get before it loses too much velocity to be accurate. Past 100 yards is usually centerfire territory. Since you are talking accuracy, a good choice would be a .223 bolt-action rifle. For reasonable ammo, parctice with surplus or steel-cased ammo, and save your good stuff for when it counts. At 100 yards, even the cheapest surplus is capable of close to 1 minute-of angle accuracy (about a 1 inch circle). For .22lr or ,22WMR to match past 100 yards that you will have to invest in a serious target rifle. The .223 will give you excellent accuracy out to over 600 yards. With special (in 'gun talk', the word 'special' usually means 'expensive') rifles and loads, there are folks who use it out to 1000 yards!

There are excellent bolt-action rifles in .223. Do your shopping to find the one that matches your needs best. If you intend to shoot matches, you will need to make sure that you get a rifle that is permitted for the type of matches you want to shoot.

[Guest Aces&8s]

I went with an H&R Sportster in .17HMR. It is a single-shot break action, with a bull barrel, and it is accurate as all heck. So far, I have only gone out to 100 yards, but at that range, it is a tack driver. I can put five rounds through a dime, using a centerpoint 4-16x40mm scope. I hear that the Savage bolt-action .17HMRs are great rifles too.

[Jonnin]

A 22 will carry you out to 200 yards, maybe 300, easily. As one friend of mine put it, get a smaller target if you want to hone your skills with a .22. Our 10/22 will outshoot us at 100-200 yard ranges, I am not a rifle marksman and can get sub 3 inch groups at those ranges with it using fairly sorry ammo. As noted above, a 22 begins to drop off fast out past 100 or so, so you have to sight in or correct for the drop which can quickly reach 10 inches or so of drop, depending on the gun and the ammo used.

I use about a 7-9 power scope at those ranges.

10/22 is very tinkerable though most of that is cosmetics.

If you want to shoot long range, get a long range gun, and reload for it. The 22 is a great start, but you can get a cheap single shot or bolt action 308, reload some custom, quality rounds for it, and do very well. It will cost more than a .22 per shot, but long range accuracy isnt about pumping lead downrange, its about taking your time and making your shots. Last time I went for this type work I was spending a good 10 min per shot. 308 can get pricy if you put in into an AR and go hogwild with the rapid fire, but shooting a few times per hour at something 500+ yards out, it is not that much of a burden. As you gain skill you will want to buy better quality bullets to reload and some accurate way to dispense powder, but at first, basic reloading and basic components will do.